The local church has a critical role to play in caring for refugees. Loving the stranger is core to our calling as Christians—and it’s part of the church’s DNA. The Bible commands us to “love those who are foreigners” (Deuteronomy 10:19) and care for the vulnerable (Matthew 25:40).
Many Christians have long been committed to serving refugee populations both here and abroad. It is part of God’s call to pursue justice for the oppressed and to welcome the stranger in our midst.
As a ministry leader with limited time and resources, you fortunately don’t have to start this process from scratch. Christian organizations, researchers, and ministries have been doing this work for decades. They’re eager to share what they’ve learned with local churches and equip them.
The Humanitarian Disaster Institute researches refugee camps and develops partnerships with various aid and relief organizations. Here are some resources I use in this work that I hope will help you, too.
Books
If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the subject, start with these books.
Statistics
Reliable, relevant information is a key starting point for any ministry. With the recent surge in “fake news,” finding facts from trusted sources is more important than ever.
Videos
Refugees aren’t just statistics—they’re real, individual people with unique stories of loss, trauma, resilience, and hope. Videos are a great way of understanding the depth of their stories and how our work can enter into those stories.
Advocacy Websites
When you’re looking to take action and aren’t sure how to proceed, these websites offer practical steps you can take.
Ministry Resources
These ready-to-go resources will offer helpful guidance as you start refugee ministries in your church.
Christian Organizations
Many organizations that work with refugees have been partnering with local churches for decades, and their official websites are filled with valuable information and resources.
Resettlement
- World Relief: This organization helps resettle refugees once they arrive in the United States, and they have many opportunities (with varying levels of commitment) for churches to partner with their work.
- International Association for Refugees (IAFR): IAFR has established relationships with churches and pastors in refugee camps and is doing influential work with refugees— both before and after resettlement.
Advocacy
- World Evangelical Alliance Refugee Task Force: This task force is focused on “facilitating a coordinated response from the global to the grassroots level,” which includes mobilizing churches and advocating on behalf of refugees.
- World Vision: World Vision’s strong fundraising ability and their presence in developing countries allows them to offer assistance to huge numbers of refugees internationally. The organization also has a robust church engagement arm.
Medical supplies and services
- Medical Teams International: This organization sends medical supplies and care to vulnerable people around the world, including refugees and displaced people.
- MedAir: This organization provides international emergency services to meet physical needs in crisis areas and to assist in recovery efforts.
Trauma and theological training
- Humanitarian Disaster Institute: At the HDI, we have partnered with IAFR on conducting trauma and theological training in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, and we have worked with World Relief on a number of projects over the years—both here in the Chicago area and globally. Last year, we cohosted the GC2 Summit, an event to help the church show the love of Jesus Christ to refugees and refugee communities. Refugee care was a focus of our 2016 annual conference and will be again at our 2018 Disaster Ministry Conference. In addition, we’ve published research and trainings around multiple refugee care and humanitarian aid topics.
May you be blessed in your efforts to demonstrate God’s love for the most vulnerable “strangers” among us.
